London Indonesian Film Screenings 2013

The 2013 London Indonesian Film Screenings presents a selection of some of the most exciting films to come out of Indonesia in recent years.

Indonesian film has experienced a remarkable revitalisation in the years since the fall of the New Order regime in 1998. In 2006 SOAS was delighted to host the first ever series of London Indonesian Film Screenings. Since then we have continued to play occasional Indonesian films, and the Department of South East Asia is proud to be one of the few universities outside of Indonesia offering an undergraduate course dedicated to the study of Indonesian film.

The 2013 London Indonesian Film Screenings presents a selection of some of the most exciting films to come out of Indonesia in recent years. The films touch on issues of love, morality, sexuality and family. We start off by screening Teddy Soeriaatmadja’s two most recent films, both of which have been critically acclaimed;Lovely Man tells the story of a young woman who discovers that her estranged father is a transgender sex worker, while Something in the Way is a gripping film about a taxi driver caught between sexual desire and religious obligation. Both these films will be followed by a Q & A session with the director. Friday night’s film,Parts of the Heart, is a film told in eight parts about an Indonesian gay man as he moves from childhood to middle age. Saturday’s films coincide with the Indonesian day of culture at SOAS Indonesia Kontemporer. The screenings start with a family film for all ages, Stepping on the Flying Grass. The highlight of Sunday’s three films is Riri Riza’s latest picture, Atambua 39 Celsius. The showing will be preceded by his earlier film, the road movie 3 Days to Forever, and Kuldesak, the 1998 film which many critics see as marking the beginning of the re-emergence of Indonesian cinema. The director Riri Riza will be present for the Sunday screenings.

To coincide with the film screenings the CSEAS is also organising a two-dayWorkshop on Indonesian Cinema, on 17-18 October, to be held at the Royal Asiatic Society, London. While an academic conference, all those interested in Indonesian film – academics, students and members of the public – are encouraged to attend.

These events are sponsored by the Centre for South East Asian Studies and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London. Special thanks should also be given to a number of individuals who have helped enormously in the planning of this event. They include John Badalu, who helped secure permission to screen several of the films, Andanari at Miles Film, Katja Lenarcic at M-Appeal, Jane Savory for doing so much of the administrative work, Jonah Foran, who designed the poster, and the AV team at SOAS for their technical support.